Semi-automatic attachment for breech-loading guns.



No. 867,258. PATENT-ED OCT. 1, 1907.

W. H. BRIGGS.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC ATTACHMENT FOR BREEGH LOADING GUNS. APPLICATION FILED NOV.13. 1905.

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PATENTED OCT. 1, 1907 W. H. BRIGGS.

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SEMI-AUTOMATIG ATTACHMENT FOR BRBEGH LOADING GUNS.

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APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13. 1905.

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SEMI-AUTOMATIC ATTACHMENT FOR BREEOH LOADING GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.13. 1905.

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W. H. DRIGGS. SEMI-AUTOMATIC ATTACHMENT FOR BREEGH LOADING GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13. 1905.

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PATENTED OCT. 1, 1907.

W. H. BRIGGS. SEMI-AUTOMATIC ATTACHMENT FOR BREEGH LOADING GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.13. 1905 6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

TIITF STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HALE DRIGGS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE DRIGGS-SEABUHY ORDNANCE CORPORATION, OF SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC ATTACHMENT FOR BREECH-LOADING GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 1907.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HALE DRIGGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Semi-Automatic Attachments for Breech-Loading Guns; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in semi-automatic attachments for breech loading guns, and it consists in providing certain improved means whereby the breech mechanism is caused to operate positively on counter recoil, and by which the motion of the gun on counter recoil tends to cause the automatic actuating apparatus to engage more firmly as pressure is applied, and not to be knocked aside or otherwise thrown out of operation incident to the motion of the gun itself.

My invention also includes the combination with the apparatus just referred to, of improved means for throwing the automatic attachment into and out of engagement when desired, so that the gun may be operated either by hand in the usual way, or semi-autoinatically.

My invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same parts are indicated by the same letters throughout the several views.

Figure l is side elevation of part of the breech actuating mechanism of the gun, parts being omitted for the sake of clearness of the drawings. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1, partly in section along the line 2-2 of said figure. Fig. 3 shows a section along the line 33 of Fig. 1. and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a detailed plan view showing the action of the pivoted cam block, the actuating lug being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the hub of the operating lever shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and shows the inner side thereof. Fig. 6 is a detail showing the means for rocking the cam block to the operative or inoperative position, and Fig. 7 shows a section along the line 77 of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a modified form of the apparatus. Fig. 9 shows a section along the line 9-9 of Fig. 8, and looking down, parts being broken away to show the spring arrangement. Fig. 10 shows a section along the broken line 10-10 of Fig. 9, the parts being enlarged. Fig. 11 shows a section through the shoulder bar with the hand lever, rock shaft, and semiautomatic attachment in elevation. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the cam block and cam shown in Figs. 8 to 1.0. Fig. 13 is a view of the cam block shown in Fig. 12 as seen from the rear of said figure, and on a much smaller scale. Fig.

14 shows still another modification of the invention, being a side elevation partly in section. Fig. 15 shows section along the line 15l5 of Fig. 14, and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 16 shows a section along the line 16-16 of Fig. 15, and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 1'7 is a perspective view of the cam block shown in Figs. 14 to 16, but on a larger scale than in said figures, the operating lug being shown in dotted lines, and Fig. 18 is a detail showing the means for rocking the cam block of Figs. 14 to 17 into and out of engagement with the engaging lug.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 7 A (shown only in Fig. 2) represents the gun body which recoils relatively to the shoulder bar B in the usual well known way.

C represents a pistol grip for convenience in pointing and firing the gun, but the firing apparatus is omitted for the sake of clearness of the drawings, as that does not constitute a part of my present invention.

D represents the operating shaft which opens and closes the breech in the usual well known way, such for instance as shown in my Patent No. 805,272, granted November 21, 1.905, or as shown in the patent to William II. Driggs and V. G. Tasker, No. 625,326, granted May 23, 1899. The mechanism operated by this rock shaft D, and the means for locking the breech block in the open position, are well known in the art, and do not constitute a part of my present invention.

Mounted 011 the rock shaft D is the hub E, which is preferably provided with an angular recess a to engage the rock shaft D, and this hub carries a hand lever E with a handle E whereby the rock shaft may be rocked by hand, and thus the breech may be opened or closed by hand when desired. This hub E also carries a hook 6 adapted to be connected to suitable spring, such as is shown in my Patent No. 805,272, granted November 21, 1905 aforesaid, whereby the breech may be closed under the action of said spring, energy being stored up in the spring on recoil to close the breech on counter recoil. This action of the spring is also well understood in the art, and need not be further described herein. This hub E has the lug F with a flat face f terminating in the rounded face f, and with the rounded face f looking downwards as at f see Figs. 4 and 5.

H represents a cam block which is vertically pivoted in the shoulder bar B by means of the pin I, which projects into the pin hole H in the block, and has a lug t engaging in a segmental recess h in the cam block. This pin I carries a. resilient arm I, provided with a handle I and an engaging pin 1', which pin engages in one of the recesses b or b in the shoulder bar B, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. and one of which recesses is shown in dotted lines in Fig. I. By means of this handle I the cam block H may be rocked from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 to the position shown in dotted lines in said figure, and may be locked in either position by means of the locking pin 1'. The cam block is prevented from rocking in the reverse direction by means of the shoulder h, which engages a corresponding shoulder on the shoulder bar as shown in Fig. 2. This cam block H carries a cam K, which has a sloping face is on the forward side thereof, and a rounded face k on the rear thereof, see Fig. l. This rounded face is in the form of an involute, or in other words, is the locus of a point in a right line which rolls, without sliding, over a given curve; the idea being that the lug F rolls over this surface without sliding when the "breech block opens under the automatic action, as will be hereinafter described. This cam block is normally pressed inward into the engaging position shown in Fig. 2 by means of the leaf spring M secured to the shoulder-bar in any convenient way, as by means of the screw m. This spring should be strong enough to keep the cam block normally pressed inwards, and not too strong to prevent the same from being swung outwards to the disengaged position by means of the handle 1 The action of-the apparatus is as follows:-Suppose the parts to be in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, at which time the lug F would be in the position indicated in dotted lines to the left of Fig. 4; now if the gun be fired, it will recoil, the rounded face f of the cam lug F will engage the face 7c of the cam, pressing the cam K, and with it the-cam block II, backwards about the pivot pin I, against the action of the spring M. As soon as the edge f of the lug F has cleared the cam during recoil, the

cam block will be snapped back to the initial position by means of the spring M. Now as the gun comes forward again on counter recoil, the rounded face f of the lug F will strike the involute k of the cam K, and will roll along this involute face until this lug passes clear of the lower edge of the cam at which time the breech block would be snapped back to the closed position by means of the hook e and the main spring (not shown); but the extractors (not shown) will hold the block in the open position until the extractors are thrown out of engagement in the act of loading the gun. This action of the extractors and of the main spring are well known in the art, and are illustrated in the patent already referred to.

In the modification shown in Figs. 8 to 13, the pistol grip C is omitted, and the hand lever E is connected to one end of the rock shaft D, while the other end of the rock shaft carries an arm E which carries the engaging lug F. The resilient arm I with the handle I are also mounted beneath the part B of the gun mount, but their action is precisely the same as has already been described. The cam block K is swung in and out and locked in the engaging or disengaged position by means of this resilient arm, as before described. I The cam block may be hollowed out as at II to decrease its weight, and is provided with a recess h to engage the spring M", the other end of which spring is held in the cup N which is provided with cars 12 adapted to pass into notches b and to engage in an annular groove behind the shoulders b This cup N may be turned by the thumb lug n, and thus the cup may be conveniently inserted or removed, and the spring M inserted or removed when desired. .The inward travel of the cam lug H is limited by the shoulders 71, and the back of the cam lug is preferably slotted as at H to engage a tongue 11 (see Figs. 8 and 9), integral with the part B of the gun mount. This tongue limits the outward swing of the cam block and serves to support the same against vertical thrust.

The parts being in the position shown in Figs. 8 and 9, it will be obvious that when the gun recoils, the edge f of the lug F will engage the cam face 7: of the cam K and will press the cam back, while on counter recoil the face f will strike the involute face is on the back of the cam, and will rock the shaft D, opening the breech as before described. The cam.is provided with a shelf with a rearwardly projecting face It at the top of the cam face 70 in rear of the curved shoulder see Fig. 12.

When the breech block is normally in the ClOSC( position, the lug F is in the position indicated in Fig. l1, and in dotted lines to the left of Fig. 12. The face is then abuts against the face fof the lug F, and the rock shaft D cannot be rotated until either the gun recoils far enough to have the lug F clear the face it or if, or until the cam lug is swung clear of engagement by means of the handle I Thus it will be seen that this 'face on the cam serves as a positive stop to prevent the breech from being prematurely opened.

The operation of the device shown in Figs. 8 to 13 is similar to that already described with reference to Figs. 1 to '7, but with the further result that when the gun goes forward on counter recoil, the face f 3 of the lug F rolls down the involute 0 until it clears the edge 70 of the cam K. This lug is then held down by the breech block, locked by the extractors, but when the extractor engagement is released, the lug F is rocked up again, pressing back the cam face k until said lug passes above the face 7c, then the cam block is swung inwards to the initial position shown in Figs. II and 12 by the spring M. p I

In the form of device shown in Figs. 14 to 18, the cam block II is rocked by means of the pivot pin I and lug i to throw the cam into and out of engagement as before. The pin I has a crank I with a handle I, and this crank is slotted as at i to receive the spring I, see Fig. 18, which spring carries a lug 2' adapted to engage in recesses b or b, see Fig. 15, and thus hold the cam block in the on or off position. The cam block is provided with an arm h against which presses the cup M mounted over the sprin M which spring is mounted in the recess in the gun mount, which recess is provided with an escape opening 19 so that any air compressed beneath the cup M may escape. The opposite end of the cam block is provided with an inclined face if and a shoulder h to engage the faces 6 and I), see Fig. 15. The cam K is generally similar to the cam shown in Fig. 12, except that the shelf 76 is shorter than is indicated in Fig. 12, and the cam face it of Fig. 12 is omitted. The hand lever E is fast to one end of the rock shaft D. The other end of said rock shaft carries the crank E having the engaging lug F The cam and the lug are shown in the initial position in Figs. 14- and 17. Now when the gun recoils, the lug F passes above the shelf 70 and engages the cam face 7c, pressing the cam block back about its pivot against the action of the spring M As soon as the lug F has passed clear of the cam, the cam block snaps back to the initial position, and the gun continues its recoil. On counter recoil, the lug F engages the involute face k of the cam K and rolls along this face, opening the breech as hereinbefore described, and the breech is held open by the extractors until released.

It will be seen that the breech may be opened or closed by hand, when the parts are in the initial position, but that during a short portion of the early part of the recoil, the lug F will be above the shelf 16 and while in this position the breech cannot be prematurely opened.

It will be noted that in all of the forms of the invention herein described and shown, the pivot pin of the cam block is mounted vertically in a vertical plane parallel to the vertical plane including th e axis of the bore. It will be further noted that the cam projects inward between the parallel vertical planes containing the axis of the pivot pin and the axis of the bore. This construction will tend to cause the cams to swing back readily when they are struck by the actuating lugs on recoil, but will cause the cams to swing inwards, holding more firmly when any pressure is applied in the reverse direction as happens when the lug strikes the cam on counter recoil. This causes the cam and lug to engage firmly and prevents any knocking out of the way, or failure to operate, which has been experienced in practice with cams having the axis of the pivot pin parallel to the axis of the bore. It will thus be seen that I provide a cam engagement which yields readily in the direction of the recoil, and which engages firmly in the direction of counter recoil. Furthermore, I provide a simple and convenient means for throwing the cam into and out of engagement when desired, whereby the gun may be used to iire semi-automatic ally, or may be operated by hand, as may be required. It will furthermore be seen that the cam block and its pivot pin, spring, etc., may be readily assembled and applied to or removed from the gun, as may be desired.

In practice it is especially desirable that the parts may be quickly removed and overhauled and replaced, or that others maybe substituted therefor, and that the use of tools in assembling the parts may be avoided, for all of which I have provided in the apparatus herein described.

It will be obvious that various modifications might be made in the herein described apparatus which could be used without departing from the spirit of my inventiion.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1, lhc combination with a gun mount. and a gun body adapted to recoil therein. of an operating shaft journaled in the gun body, an arm projecting from said shaft, a lug carried by said arm. a cam block pivoted vertically to a part of the mount, and provided with a cam projecting inwards towards the axis of the gun and lying between the vertical planes passing through its pivot and the axis of the gun, respectively, the said cam engaging said lug on counter recoil, a coil spring normally swinging the free end of said cam block inwards a cup-shaped head holding one end of the spring in place, and means for throwing said cam out of engagement, when desired, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a gun mount, and a gun body adapted to recoil therein, of an operating shaft journalcd in the gun body, an arm projecting from said shaft, a lug carried by said arm, a cum block pivoted vertically to a part of the mount, and provided with a cum project iig inwards towards the axis of the gun and lying between the vertical planes passing through its pivot and the axis of the gun, respectively, the said cam having an involute surface engaging said lug on counter recoil, and a spring normally swinging the free end of said cam block inwards, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a gun mount, and a gun body adapted to recoil therein, of an operating shaft journaled in the gun body. an arm projecting from said shaft, 21 lug carried by said arm. a cam block pivoted vertically to a part of the mount, and prpvided with a cam projectiing inwards towards the axis of the gun and lying between the vertical planes passing through its pivot and the axis of the gun, respectively, the said earn having an involutc surface engaging said lug on counter recoil, and a coil spring normally swinging the free end of said cum block inwards a detachable cup-shaped head holding one end or the spring. with resilient means for moving said cam block and locking the same in the engaging or disengaged position. substantially as described.

4. The combination with a gun mount. and a gun body adapted to recoil therein. of an operating shaft journaled in the gun body, an arm projecting from said shaft. a lug carried by said arm, a cam block pivoted vertically to a part of the mount, and provided with a cam project ing inwards towards the axis of the gun and lying between the vertical planes passing through its pivot and the axis of the gun, respectively. the said cam engaging said lug on counter recoil. and being provided with a shelf to engage said lug and prevent the premature opening of the breech block, a spring normally swin ing the free end of said cam block inwards. and means for throwing said cam out of engagement, when desired, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a gun mount. and a gun body adapted to recoil therein, of an operating shaft journaled in the gun body. an arm projecting from said shaft, a lug carried by said arm, a cam block pivoted vertically to a part of the mount, and provided with a cam project ing inwards towards the axis of the gun and lying between the vertical planes passing through its pivot and the axis of the gun, respectively. the said cam having an involute surface engaging said lug on counter recoil, and also being provided with a shelf to engage said lug and prevent the premature opening of the breech, and a spring normally swinging the free end of said cam blocl: inwards, substantially as described.

(3. The combination with a gun mount. and a gun body adapted to recoil therein. of an operating shaft journnled in the gun body. an arm projecting from said shaft. a lug carried by said arm, a cam block pivoted vertically to a part of the mount, and provided with a cam projecting inwards towards the axis of the gun and lying between the vertical planes passing through its pivot and the axis of the gun, respective the said cam having an involute surface engaging said lug on counter recoil, and also being provided with ashelf to engage said lug and prevent the premature opening of the breech. and a spring normally swinging the free end of said cam block inwards, with resilient means for moving said cum block and locking the. same in the engaging or disengaged position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I atlix my signature. in presence of two witnesses.

l LLIAM HALE BRIGGS,

Witnesses MARY B. Snrrsox, ELLA M. Bnnxn'r. 

